When I Was A Child

by Stuart Malkin 11 January 2026

How good were you at school?   Personally, not very good,  but I did enjoy the subject of History.   I have a book that I cherish headed “Photos that changed the World”.   Each pair of pages generally has a black and white photograph of the incident and on the other a write up, some of which are quite graphic.  It starts with the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and goes through to 2005  and Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans.   Much has happened in the world since then and history will continue to be  made. No doubt you too can recall many major events that have impacted the world in your lifetime. Just think how many times you have said or thought “when I was a child” when considering the world changing events that you have experienced.

Reading John 6:12 to 15
When they were all full, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces left over,  let us not waste any” So they gathered them all up and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves which the people had eaten.

Seeing this miracle that Jesus had performed the people there said, “Surely this is the prophet who was come into the world” Jesus knew that they were about to come and seize him in order to make him king by force, so he went off again to the hills by himself.

For the child in the earlier part of this bible story, recounted in the song, it was an event not to forget, no doubt the phrase “When I was a child”, came up in his lifetime.  He had been part of an historic event, never to be forgotten.  Can you imagine being one of so many, having so little to share, but he did.

What was Jesus doing as he blessed this food ?  Was He trying to show the 5000 he could just feed them or more?

Surely Jesus was trying to get to the heart of these people by showing them that God had seen their need and would fulfil it,  and not just by what they wanted.

In the latter part of the reading above, it’s obvious that the people had seen the miracle in the wrong light. Were they looking for a King of the Jews, or were they seeing the true greatness and goodness of God that Jesus was trying to show?

Jesus was not interested in powerful kingship,  he did what he often did and found solace, in this case in the hills away from the masses. The people no doubt were confused, but Jesus had another day to help them, just as he still helps us today.

Prayer
Father God we humans get confused on many levels, maybe what we require and want should be so obvious! Please help us Lord to recognise the difference.
Amen